Page 20 of Love Me in the Light

My head tilted because his question was so damn vague. “How did what happen so fast? What the hell are you talking about?”

Cole took a sip of his whiskey, set it down on the table in front of him, then leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs. “Krypto, it takes you a long time to even warm up to a female. You are not the type of nigga to fall fast or hard. What is it about Memoree Layne? In case you didn’t realize it, you have fallen hard.”

I chuckled, not because what he said was funny, but because what he said was true. He was right by all accounts. I thought about it for a second then spoke the only thing that made sense to me. “Man, she’s the one. That woman is going to be my wife and the mother of my children. We are gonna live a wonderful life with beautiful lighting.”

“Wow, that shit is crazy! I knew it was something when you turned Melissa away. Her ass is at that bar looking salty as fuck,” he seriously joked. He sat back in his seat. “I’m happy for you, my boy.”

My head nodded to his words. “Shit, I’m happy for me. These females out here are wild. There’s no better feeling than finding the right one.”

I knew that it was very early to talk like this. Something else I knew was what I was taught from the men that my mother ensured sowed into my life as a youngin. They told me that a man knew when a woman was for him and in what way she was for him. When I was with my ex, I knew she wasn’t my end all. At the time that we were together, she served a purpose, or at least I felt like she did.

At that point in my life, I wanted a woman who looked good on my arm. I didn’t want her to talk too much. I simply wanted a trophy that spoke when I needed her to. It seemed misogynistic because it was. At that time, I wasn’t looking for a life partner who could truly contribute to my life. She was the woman I fucked on and took out. We didn’t even live together.

Although I knew she wasn’t my forever, I treated her like a queen. Until I found out about her stealing from and cheating on me, there was no reason to not treat her like a queen. When we met, she presented herself as one, but my mother saw through it. I should have listened to my mother, but by the time she told me how she felt about Lala, I had already chosen her. Once you made something yours, you stood ten toes down barefoot next to it until it gave you a reason not to. Well, she gave me a huge reason not to.

My eyes fell to my wristwatch before I scanned the lounge. My baby would be here soon. It had been two days since I saw her because she had an out-of-town client. She’d been gone for a week, but I flew in a few days ago to spend time with her. There was no way in this life or the next that I would go a full week without seeing, touching, and kissing my woman. That would never work for me.

The scowl of a pretty face paused my scan of my lounge. Melissa was too pretty of a woman for the scowl that she currently wore. We fucked on each other from time to time. It was nothing more, nothing less. She was an amazing woman, but I knew that she wasn’t the woman I wanted as my forever. She came over here earlier on her flirtatious shit like she normally did. The difference was that I was no longer available for that. She didn’t care for the kind rejection obviously.

A few days after Memoree Layne and I made things official, we put it all on the table. It was important for me to do so because I knew that she may become more of a permanent fixture here, and I didn’t want anyone to blindside her. I hoped that would never happen, but I was not the architect of people’s feelings. She gave me the same courtesy.

“Mr. Johnson.” My hostess, Sarah, interrupted my thought process. She continued when I gave her my attention. “You told me to come get you when Miss Smith and her guest arrived. They just arrived.”

My heart did this little skip thing as I stood. My hands straightened my blazer. “Aye, I’m about to go get my baby and her friend. I’ll be back,” I told Cole.

Yesterday, I had a meeting with my staff. I let them all know who Memoree Layne was, what her connection to me was, and how they should treat her. As far as everyone was concerned, she was the first lady of Kryptonite Reserve. Anything she wanted in here was hers without question or pushback. I ensured that they all had a photo of her as well.

I walked behind Sarah to the front lobby area. My cheeks rose at how fucking fine my woman was while my heart sped up at how she looked at me when I came into view. “Hey, baby,” she said.

The second she was in my space, I pulled her into me and placed my lips on hers. After our short but passionate kiss, my lips went to her ear. “I missed your ass, Mem.”

She giggled. “You just saw me the other day.” She pulled back, pecked my lips, then slightly turned to her side. “Baby, you know Sasha.”

“Nice to see you, Ledger,” she greeted.

I extended my hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Miss Sasha.” After our brief handshake, I grabbed my baby’s hand. “Ladies, let’s get to our section.”

All eyes were on us as we walked through the lounge, which wasn’t unexpected. No one had seen me with a woman openly since my ex, and that was years ago. When we got to my section, Cole stood to his feet. His eyes were on Sasha. Memoree Layne and Cole had met briefly, but I never gave a true, official introduction. Besides, when he first met her, she wasn’t my woman yet.

“Ladies, this is my best friend, Collin Bernard. He prefers Cole by close friends and associates. Cole, you know of my baby, but let me formally introduce you. This is my baby, Memoree Layne Smith and her best friend, Dr. Sasha Morgan.”

Cole’s smirk told me that off physical appearance alone, he was feeling Dr. Morgan. He addressed Memoree Layne first. “Miss Memoree Layne, I have heard nothing but amazing things about you. It’s so nice to see you again”

My baby smiled with high, rosy cheeks. “It’s nice to officially meet you too. I’ve heard great things about you as well.”

Next, Cole focused on Sasha. “Dr. Morgan, it’s nice to meet you, beautiful. May I ask what you are a doctor of?”

Sasha smirked. “Of course, you may. I am a pediatrician here in Charlotte. May I ask what is it that you do for a living, Cole?”

His smirk rose to match hers. “Of course, you can, beautiful. I am the founder and CEO of Bernard Executive Protection Group based here in Charlotte, North Carolina. After my time in the military working as an intelligence operative, I transitioned that skill set and became a licensed executive protection specialist.”

Memoree Layne and my head bounced back to Sasha to await her response. It was like we were flies on the wall of this underlined flirtatious banter that the two were building. From what I had already experienced with Sasha, she was an outspoken, unapologetic female. That would be a different type of woman for Cole.

Sasha’s arms crossed over her chest. “Oh, okay. What you’re saying is that, as long as I’m around you I’m safe?”

When Cole stepped into her space, I knew that my woman and I would have a story to compare soon about the two of them during our pillow talk. “Dr. Morgan, you’re always safe with me, in more ways than one. The only people that would be safer are John Wick or Bryan Mills. Since I don’t predict you being taken or someone fucking with your car or dog, you’re good with me. Even if it did happen, you are still good with me.”

Memoree Layne cleared her throat. “This is a different kind of flirting, but okay. Sasha, do you want to get something from the bar?”